ARES and Mobile Multiple Mission Module (M4) Integration Risk Reduction Ground and Tethered Flight Testing

This Sequential Phase II SBIR advances the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) Demonstration Vehicle (DV) and the Mobile Multiple Mission Module (M4) by conducting force and moment testing and restrained hover testing of the ARES and M4.  The ARES DV and M4 is a Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with rotating ducted fans and a modular pod that can accommodate cargo, troop transport, Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) and medical resupply.  The M4 can also be separated from the ARES and transported by ground vehicles while the ARES can also be equipped with alternate payloads.  The ARES DV was largely developed by PiAC with Lockheed Martin under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program that designed, built and ground tested the ARES DV and obtained Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) airworthiness enable approval to conduct hover flights.  The M4 was developed, built and is being ground tested by PiAC for the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to provide an Unmanned Ground and Aerial Recovery System (UGARS) that could provide autonomous CASEVAC. The ARES DV and M4 provide a prototype of an UGARS that delivers military and commercial logistics, medical transport or transit in a single UAS asset.  This research directly supports the need for autonomous systems that can provide consistent medical care independent of terrain, timing or threat level.